045 Five Brutal Reasons Creatives Stay Broke (And How to Fix Them)

Why do so many wildly talented creative people struggle financially? The answer might not be what you expect.

Creativity isn't enough. You need clarity.

An abundance of creative ideas without the clarity to focus them can be exactly what's keeping brilliant artists, entrepreneurs, worship leaders, or visionaries broke.

The episode reveals five reasons creative people stay financially challenged despite their natural gifts.

Follow Jordan Marcotte on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jordanamarcotte

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to RizCast with Jordan Marcotte
• 1:25 Creativity is not enough, you need clarity
• 4:21 Story of a transformational VIP session
• 7:15 Five reasons creatives stay broke
• 12:45 Finding your superpower and saying no

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the RizCast podcast. My name is Justin, excited to be with you guys here today. I have a good friend, jordan Marcotte, with me again, and we are talking about kind of a spicy topic, if you will, and this is something you and I have chatted about and I thought would be a great thing to bring onto the podcast, and it is this that creativity is not enough. Creativity is not enough. You need clarity. You need clarity. Creativity is not enough, you need clarity. And this came up a bit ago. We were talking and you had just had a out-of-town client come in for a vip with you. Is this four, six hours thing? It was six hours, yes, six hours.

Speaker 1: 0:47

You spent time and one of the things that you said to me in this, in this conversation, that you had realized from this, this six hour day, with this, this business person, it was the creative business person, right, yeah, yeah. So what's? Obviously you could say all business people are creative, but he was a musician, singer, worship leader person, along with having business ideas, right. And you said the same thing to me over coffee. You said I began to realize that we weren't strategizing his million dollar offer. We were just trying to get clarity and if you find clarity, the million dollar offer or whatever it is will come. If you find clarity, we could say the provision will come. You can say it all kinds of different ways and I think so many.

Speaker 1: 1:34

Again, we have entrepreneurs and business people who listen to this, but also a lot of worship leaders, musicians I feel like a lot of worship leaders, just like man. If I just had like clarity about you know, I'm sorry if I just had the right idea, the right viral video, the right opportunity, then I'd see my breakthrough happen, right. So if I just had the thing pop off, then my life would be great as a worship leader, as an artist, as a songwriter. But I believe it's not about that as much as it is about having clear Wow, I can't even talk today clarity, clear avenue for your creativity to flow, and so I've kind of titled this. What we're going to talk about is five reasons that creatives stay broke, five reasons creatives stay broke. But give us kind of a I mean kind of reflect that conversation back to me, as I just said it, this VIP session that you had, and then we'll hop into these five points together.

Speaker 2: 2:32

Yeah, Just a quick snapshot. I was hosting event last month. He was there for it. He came one of our guests that we brought in he was a friend of his, and so we were going to dinner they hadn't seen each other in a long time asked to join. This is the.

Speaker 2: 2:48

These are these moments, man, where, like God sets it up, I'm telling you but he's from St Louis, drove three and a half, four hours to be there, and toward the end of the dinner, the end of the dinner I'm holding my, I'm holding my youngest daughter, we're just talking and one thing leads to another. He starts talking about his transition from ministry into full-time entrepreneurship. That that's what him and his wife had been praying about and that, obviously, is very I'm, very intimately, you know, I've lived that life. And so we all stepped outside, started hanging all my friends, you know, seeing me do what I normally do Uh, just encouraging. I'm thinking I'll never see this dude again. Let me just give him, you know, as much yeah, man, let me just give him as much like love and belief and encouragement as I can just send them on his way. So for clarity, you never met this guy before.

Speaker 2: 3:40

Never met this dude.

Speaker 1: 3:41

You're at an event that you're hosting, you're putting on, so he's like, hey, dude, what do you say? Thanks for the event. And you're like, dude, what do you do? How'd that conversation happen?

Speaker 2: 3:48

Yeah, so we're done with the event, right? He's just, he followed us to dinner because of the guests that we had in. So now we're at dinner, okay, and again we the conversation. But I get a text from him later that night, after don't know if I have ever believed in myself or what I do, more than coming away from this meeting, I feel like this conversation changed the trajectory of my life and I'm cracking up because I'm like, ok, zero pressure, whatever.

Speaker 2: 4:39

But the reality is is like there's so many of us that are just like holding on to things that we take for granted, things that we're so used to about ourselves that really are valuable and impactful to other people. So he said how can I, how do I, pursue coaching? I said I'm getting ready to have another kid. I'm not doing on the on, on, uh, ongoing coaching. I said, but I would do, I would do one of my VIP days with you, um, and we're actually supposed to go longer. He just couldn't. You know it was supposed to be nine to five and it couldn't, but anyways, yeah, man, he drove from St Louis, we kicked off at nine and I mean, man, like I think the big, the biggest part of clarity. That's what he said.

Speaker 2: 5:18

Like the transformation wasn't about I feel like I'm going to go make more money or I feel like I'm going to do this. Like I feel I feel actual, I feel clear, this feels pure, I feel like I know myself and what I am now going to go offer to the world. I know who I'm talking to. You know, and um, and those things are just so helpful when we have them, and so it was also just like it just was so rewarding to me. You know, like I was telling you, I said I was so excited to go to work. I said, but I left six hours. Like bro, I go another six. I mean, like I, this is stuff that just like fires me up. So clarity, clarity is, is, is beautiful, and I think oftentimes we try so hard to level up and try to strategize our way out of, you know, just like not really being secure in our identity and not being 100%. You know, fully equipped with the depth that we need to be able to, you know, elevate and actually then level up.

Speaker 1: 6:18

So clarity is a massive tool. I love that, I love that. And so, from one simple conversation after an event that you hosted 40 minutes, whatever was enough that the next day you're like you know and you got paid the day rate, whatever, that you charge this VIP things and you know he comes in so hungry to have this, this conversation.

Speaker 2: 6:43

I mean yeah, he like, how do I give you my money? That's what it was dude.

Speaker 1: 6:51

So before we hop into these things here, if someone wanted to do that with you, like how would they contact you? We're talking Instagram DM.

Speaker 2: 6:59

Yeah, just DM me on Instagram. I'm very relational. Um, there'll be all the things down the road, all the websites and all that kind of stuff, but, uh, most people are hitting me up through DM right now.

Speaker 1: 7:12

So, okay, Amazing, Amazing, Um. So I want to talk about here, for the rest of our time together, five reasons that creatives stay broke, and obviously we gave a huge one there, just there, with not having clarity. But really I would say that clarity will fix all of these reasons. If you have clarity, obviously you need discipline and follow through on all the types of things. But so the first thing that I think really really trips up creatives songwriters, entrepreneurs, whatever it is is they're they're drowning in ideas all the time, but they're starving for the direction of how to actually pinpoint an idea, walk it through and stay steady. To actually pinpoint an idea, walk it through and stay steady. So I feel like so many creatives just need like a compass, and they're out there in some.

Speaker 1: 8:05

You know, I was just in West Virginia recently and you know, just looking at the rolling hills of all these beautiful green trees, I was mostly thinking, man, I wish I was here in the fall so I could see them all. You know beautiful red and oranges. But imagine being out there and you're like man. I just, I just love nature. I just love, you know, trees and you're like man. Well, this is a nice little tree. This is a nice little tree over here. It's like, well, where's the best tree? Where are you meeting your friend the tree? You're meeting your friend at, Like, where is that at? It's like, well, you know, I mean, I love all trees. It's like, no, no, Like, where are you going? Like having a compass out there.

Speaker 1: 8:44

I think of James, one, verse eight it's. It's slightly in context, slightly out of context. How's that for a Bible verse quote? But a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. Having clarity gives you creative purpose, focus and traction. So, again, ideas are awesome and I love that, but we need direction to actually follow through on them. The second reason I think a lot of creatives are challenged or, you know, stay broke, is they're waiting for God to fund or bring on all this money.

Speaker 1: 9:17

But God doesn't fund confusion. That's a bit of a, you know, intense statement to say, because again, I could say like, well, I didn't have all the, the, the dot, the I's dotted and the T's crossed and I pressed go on my first movie. But I was like that was the tree, that was a place where we're going, clear, where we were going. Um, God doesn't fund confusion. Now, God is incredibly gracious, he's incredible with me, with you, whoever, and he'll take our stupidest mistake and you know he's, he's so gracious, right. So I'm not trying to like. I know that's a foundational point of who God is, Um, but he finds he funds the assignments, not random ideas or emotional whims.

Speaker 1: 10:01

Now, again, it might start with an emotional whim, you know, and on this topic of God doesn't fund confusion. The second point here, um and I use this example a lot when I'm out teaching or preaching or whatever but if you feel, from the Lord, man, I'm supposed to help homeless kids or I'm supposed to do whatever, Knowing from the Lord, is that getting a compassion child and sending $40 a month to someone in Africa? Is that helping stateside here? Is that helping your city or whatever it is? Is that buying a building and starting an orphanage and getting all the different, you know, things set up, set up in that regard. So, having having clarity on that, because, man, I tell you, if you're like I think it might be the orphanage thing, you know, if it's 40 bucks a month to a compassion child, that's one thing like you can fund.

Speaker 1: 10:46

That God doesn't necessarily need to fund that, you know you're probably not like Lord, if you give us 40 bucks a month, we'll give it to this person, Right. But if it's like on the orphanage idea, you're like man. I feel like my wife and I were supposed to do this, supposed to have a plot of land building staff. You know, might be a building down South on like 20 acres. I think that's awesome. Have you gotten a realtor who owns that property? Who's the real estate agent? Can you call them up and get a quote? Can you go look at it, or whatever? So when you find the clarity of I want to help homeless people, then you'll begin to walk down the path and you'll begin to find out okay, who's the real estate agent. Okay, how much would it take to get a loan from the bank, whatever. Okay, do we need investors or do we need donors? So you get what I'm saying. Like clarity comes, god will fund. That I believe. But, as he says, when it's confusing, it's it's a lot harder for for the lord to fund.

Speaker 1: 11:47

Um, point number three of why I think so many creatives just struggle is they don't know what to say no to. Well, you don't know what in the world you're doing. You have no idea what your vision is what, even what your values are. It's like you get asked to do this. You're like, well, that might be the Lord, this might be the time for my big break. This might be the, and you're like I got to say yes, it's like the time for my big break. This might be the, and you're like I gotta say yes. It's like, well, that's like you're not going to make any money, You're going to do this. It's going to be, you know, tough on your family, whatever, but it might be the thing it's like. If you have clarity, then you it's a lot easier to say no.

Speaker 2: 12:25

One of my biggest struggles ever, for sure. Um, because, because naturally I am an ideator, um, I can get real. It's why I'm really good at this with other people, because when I can, when I can build brand, when I can reframe belief, like what I did for my client this last week I get to give all of that expression, all of that. I get to give all of that expression, all of that, all of that to another person and feel just as satisfied in that as I would building something for myself. That's why this has been such a massive pivot and transition for me is because this is part of my, of my superpower and the secret sauce that makes me me.

Speaker 2: 13:10

When I sit with myself, it makes me feel like I have to pivot every week, every month, because it's not, it's not just that you you a hundred percent can call it unfocused, immature, whatever, but the reality was is that part of how I can help people was not being pursued, it was not being put into a position to actually be of service to others. So I could sit with you for eight hours and dig and dig and I'll be just as satisfied, if not more, knowing that I gave this part of who I am to helping you build. And so the reason I say that is because I think oftentimes people are afraid of saying no, not just because of a lack of discipline or immaturity. But you know, some of it is fear, some of it is when you don't feel, when you, when you don't feel clear, um, then you know, on the other side of it then then almost anything can feel like good but this goes back to the difference between good and right.

Speaker 2: 14:12

There's a lot of good things doesn't make, doesn't make them right Right For you and um. And so that's been a big part of the journey since stepping away, even for myself, you know, just speaking openly to to you know to the listeners, to say there's been a lot of like really cool stuff that have happened. Um, but after 16 years of pursuing music, you know I was so driven and caught up by this needing to like, be something you know like, what is this supposed to be? I've got a gift. I've got.

Speaker 2: 14:41

You know, there's a lot of anxiety and pressure that became just like. Like that became the motivation. It just I feel like I started losing being in service to others, but it was through what God did, through marketplace and repositioning, where I saw different parts of my gifting showcase themselves, and so I think, when people can like actually it's like some of you listening you might you might need to get put into a different position to be able to discover greater zones of genius and skillsets that you actually do possess, so that you can actually find that level of transparency and purity and your gifting, to be able to learn how to apply it differently. You might be trying to force it, you know, to work in a way right now where maybe God might be encouraging you and again, I'm always speaking to that from my point of view, so I can speak very strongly about that but that has, like in the midst of feeling like I've lacked.